Introduction to the General Epistles
Today we are going to talk
about the books of the New Testament known as the General Epistles. There are
seven of these books, bearing the names James, Peter, John and Jude. The
General Epistles usually get less attention than Paul’s epistles, but they are
an integral part of the Bible and contain vital information for Christians and
so should not be overlooked even though they are mostly short books of the
Bible and are found in the New Testament’s final pages. They provide a glimpse
of what it was like as the first generation of believers died off and churches
began maturing and false teachers snuck in, and persecution increased, and the
Lord still hadn’t come back yet as he was expected to during the lifetime of
the first generation of believers.
These letters are also
referred to as the “catholic” epistles, with “catholic” meaning universal
rather than being a reference to the Catholic Church. They are called “general” epistles because they
are more general correspondence to churches in a wider geographical area
instead of “occasional” letters which were written out of some particular
circumstance or occasion. Some have argued that 2 and 3 John should not be included
in the general epistles because they are addressed specifically to individuals,
but others contend that these two epistles were meant for the Church at large,
but that John, in order to protect the members from persecution, addressed them
to individuals.
So what is going on that led
to the writing of these letters? There were periods during the first century
when the church, in one place or another, felt the pain of suffering and
hardship. These trials came from various sources, some inside the church and
others from outside the church. Nevertheless, they were equally distressing and
the Christians at the time were troubled as to why all the suffering was going
on. On top of that, the supposedly imminent return of Christ (Parousia) had not
taken place, which added to the early church’s angst. These letters were
written to encourage the early church to stand firm in the face of this
persecution and to continue on in the faith and to continue to love one another
through it all.
Themes of the General Epistles
The best three-word synopsis I
can think of for the General Epistles is the three Christian virtues the
Apostle Paul refers to in 1 Cor. 13:13: Faith, Hope, and Love. These are
reflected in the themes of the General Epistles: James speaks of faith, Peter
speaks of hope, and John speaks of love.
A bullet-point list of the
themes of the General Epistles would look something like this:
·
In this world, the church will encounter trials,
hostility, and persecution
·
Testing and hardship develop character
·
Stay true to God, no matter what
·
Don’t ever give up – persevere
·
Love one another
Let’s look at these seven
books, one by one:
James
Author – James, the brother of
Jesus (Gal 1:19) – a prominent leader of the church in Jerusalem
Audience – Jewish Christians
of the Diaspora (dispersion) living outside Palestine
Date – as early as AD 45 and
certainly before AD 62 when James was believed to be martyred.
Theme – Instructions on
Christian Living (paraenesis) – a lot of “dos” and “don’ts” (59 imperatives)
There is some debate over who
wrote the book, as there are a number of men in the New Testament with the name
James. The consensus is that the author was the brother of Jesus to whom He
made a special appearance after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). This
James is not to be confused with James, son of Alphaeus, who was one of Jesus’
inner circle of disciples. James was apparently a non-believer early on, who
later came to faith and became the recognized leader of the Jerusalem church
(Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18) and presided over the Council of Jerusalem, the
meeting where the Church decided to not require circumcision of gentiles coming
into the Church (Acts 15).
After Stephen was martyred (Acts
7:55-8:3) persecution increased and the diaspora began. Diaspora means “scattering.”
In the face of growing persecution, believers scattered throughout the Roman
world. Apparently this was God’s plan – before long there are thriving
communities of faith in Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, Cyprus and elsewhere. The
scattered believers were facing various trials and afflictions. James
encouraged them to recognize trials and problems as opportunities to develop
Christian character. The testing would produce patience, steadfastness,
unswerving constancy and persistence. Doing this would make a Christian
“perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (1:4). The book is really a treatise on
the faith that endures in the face of all kinds of obstacles. Especially
notable is the close similarity between this epistle and the Sermon on the
Mount (Matt. 5-7). The question James attempts to answer is “What is faith?” In
his mind faith is neither an academic nor irrelevant inquiry. Instead it is
something that pierces to the depth of one’s heart and to the center or one’s
everyday world. Faith is not ancillary to living – faith is part and parcel of
living.
Key Verses / Ideas
·
Christianity is a way of life, not just a system
of beliefs
·
Testing of faith is a good thing – develops
endurance and maturity (1:1-12)
·
Be doers of the word, not just hearers (1:22)
·
No partiality or favoritism in the church
(2:1-13)
·
Faith without works is dead (2:14-26)
·
Guard your tongues (3:1-12)
·
Patience in suffering (5:7-12)
·
Praying for the sick (5:13-20)
Peter
Author – Peter, the disciple
of Jesus – the great apostle of Pentecost – formerly Simon the rock…
Audience – Jewish / Gentile
Christians of Asia Minor
Date – if Peter, probably AD
62-64, if a later scribe who wrote in Peter’s name, 90-150 AD.
THEME of 1 Peter –
Encouragement to believers to live holy lives, distinctive lives, and to
persevere in a time of severe trial and persecution because of the great hope
we have
THEME of 2 Peter –Living
faithfully in this world until the Lord returns
Although some critics dispute
it, the book tells us it is written by the apostle Peter (1:1). Peter was a
fisherman from Bethsaida and the older brother of Andrew. He played a major
part in the earthly ministry of Jesus and was one of his inner circle of
disciples (along with James and John). He was the leader of the early church in
Jerusalem (Acts 1-11) and appears as a fearless preacher, defender, and
administrator. Peter, now an old man, writes to believers who are beset by
trials and sufferings. He had found the Lord sufficient; now he exhorts others
to cast all their cares on Him, because He cares for them (5:7).
The book of 1 Peter is written
from Rome (referred to as “Babylon” 5:13) and addressed to Jewish Christians
driven out of Rome and scattered throughout Asia Minor. Peter was eventually
executed during this persecution. Again the word suffering is front and center,
in fact the word appears 17 times in 1 Peter, being used to describe both the
suffering of Christ and the suffering of his people.
Assuming the early dating of 1
Peter (AD 62-64), the pressure of Nero’s persecution may have begun to be felt
in some of the provinces out from Rome as well. People were beginning to be
tortured and killed for their faith. Peter writes to encourage Christians and
give them direction, he focuses on the great hope we share of the coming of
Christ and our deliverance. This certainty of Christ’s return would provide a
great source of hope and comfort, even as Paul encouraged the Thessalonians (1
Thessalonians 4:18).
Many, but not all, scholars
view 2 Peter as pseudepigraphical. In fact, of all the pseudepigraphical texts,
2 Peter is considered the most pseudepigraphical of them all. But the most
interesting thing 2 Peter is its apparent plagiarism. By most estimates nineteen
of Jude’s twenty-five verses have been reworked to reappear somewhere in 2
Peter. This was noticed in ancient times, but most back then believed it was
the other way around, with Jude “borrowing” from 2 Peter. Many scholars think 2
Peter was written well into the second century.
The main themes of 2 Peter are
a warning against false ministers who appear to be within the Church and a call
to remain steadfast in the faith. Assuming 2 Peter was written by Peter, the
feeling conveyed is that the author knows his time is limited and he knows what
is to happen when he dies (false teachers will rush in) so he is sharing what
is on his mind as a pastor, warning believers of what will happen once he is
gone.
Key Verses / Ideas
·
As God, who calls you is holy, you be holy in
all your conduct (1 Peter 1:15)
·
You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, God’s peculiar treasure… (1 Peter 2:9)
·
Live as resident aliens (1 Peter 2:11)
·
Suffering – trust God and do good (1 Peter 4:19)
·
God’s power gives us everything we need to live
a godly life – great promises – that we may share in the very life and being of
God (2 Peter 1:4)
1,2,3 John
Author – John, the disciple of
Jesus – the great apostle, the beloved apostle
Audience – Churches of Asia
Minor
Date – 85- 90 or 110-120 AD, a
time of persecution under Domitian, and syncretism
THEME of 1 John –
Encouragement to believers to walk in the light, to love one another, and a
warning against being led astray.
THEME of 2 John – Continue in
the truth of Christ
THEME of 3 John – Proper behavior
in church
As we mentioned when studying
John’s gospel, the dominant view today is that it was produced in stages. The
Apostle John was responsible for the first draft of that gospel, but others
expanded and edited it. The three Johannine letters are usually ascribed to one
of these later editors of Johns’ gospel rather than to John himself. A popular
theory holds that someone named “John the Elder” wrote these. According to
Eusebius, John the Elder was a disciple of the apostle John and was a member of
his congregation. Either way, the similarities in the imagery and themes of the
three Johannine letters is so similar to John’s gospel that you can’t avoid
noticing it.
The occasion for all three
letters is the outbreak of conflict in the churches. A division was developing
within the Church. Some members were splitting off from others and forming
their own fellowship (1 John 2:19). There is some indication those leaving
thought of themselves as “progressives,” pushing the church to “go beyond” the
original teach of Christ to embrace a new revelation (2 John 9). They were also
apparently trying to entice the rest of the membership to join them (2:26).
Key Verses / Ideas
·
Walk in the light. (1 John 1:9)
·
Do not love the world. (1 John 2:15)
·
We will be like him (1 John 3:1-3)
·
Love means laying down your life for another (1
John 3: 16-17)
·
Love one another (1 John 4:7-11)
·
Jesus has come in the flesh (against Gnosticism)
Jude
Author – Jude – a servant of
Jesus and brother of James – brother of Jesus
Audience – Jewish Christians
Date – AD 55-80, probably
around 65
THEME of Jude – Stay true to
the gospel of Christ, don’t fall or turn away
“Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints”
(v 3).
The main theme and purpose of
Jude’s epistle is to counteract the threat of certain men who had “crept in
unnoticed” into the Church and “were busily engaged in turning the grace of God
into an excuse for open immorality and were denying the only true God and Jesus
Christ the Lord” (verse 4). From the first century on, the church has been
threatened by false teaching – we must always be on our guard.
John’s letter is a polemical
letter. It employs harsh rhetoric, laden with threats, insults and derogatory
remarks. If it is unpleasant to read, this may be because it deals with an
unpleasant topic; the capacity for religion to do great harm. The author is
convinced that his readers are being hurt. They are not simply being convinced
to accept wrong ideas; they are being duped and exploited by people who are
only pretending to have their interests at heart (v. 18).
Key Verses / Ideas
·
False teachers – warning against false teachers,
especially those who reject the lordship of Christ
·
Christian Conduct – genuine followers of Christ
will faithfully portray Christ in their words and conduct.
·
Apostasy – Jude also warns against apostasy –
turning away from Christ
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